As an employment consultant or disability services professional, you may be aware of different processes for person-centered planning. In person-centered planning, a person with a disability identifies their strengths, goals, needs, and desired outcomes for their life and future. They do this with a group of people they choose to help them, but they remain the ultimate decision-maker.
Charting the LifeCourse is a type of person-centered planning with many different tools and applications. It is founded on the core belief that “All people have the right to live, love, work, play, and pursue their own life aspirations.” The tools are focused on assisting people to develop a vision and plan to live their “best life,” and the Indiana Family and Social Services Administration has a webpage dedicated to Person-Centered Planning through the LifeCourse.
The Institute for Human Development at the University of Missouri–Kansas City developed Charting the LifeCourse for people with disabilities and their families to assist with planning across the lifespan. This process has expanded to include various applications, such as planning for goals beyond disability and involving family members.
Foundational Charting the LifeCourse Tools
Visit the LifeCourse Person-Centered Foundational Tools page and scroll down to the “Getting Started” section to download any or all of the following tools listed below.
Life Vision
The tool focuses on visions and priorities in various life domains, including:
- Daily Life and Employment
- Community Living
- Social and Spirituality
- Advocacy and Engagement
- Healthy Living
- Safety and Security
- Supports for Family
- Supports and Services
These visions and priorities can then be integrated into other tools, such as the Trajectory for Planning.
Trajectory for Planning
This tool helps individuals identify the steps to achieve their “good life.” It provides space to outline what they want and what they do not want. It provides room to explore past experiences that have drawn them closer to their goals and those that have drawn them away. This helps the person identify what they need to move towards their goal.
Integrated Supports Star
This is a great tool for identifying supports that a person has in place and any remaining support gaps. The star is divided into five areas:
- Personal Strengths and Assets
- Relationships
- Eligibility-Specific Supports
- Community-Based Supports
- Technology Supports
Identifying gaps can help people understand where they may need more support. For example, someone may not have technological support, which could be an area that helps them become more independent.
Integrated Supports Schedule
Information from the Supports Star is naturally matched to integrate with the Supports Schedule. You can color-code categories from the Supports Star and enter them into the Supports Schedule, identifying support and time gaps. For example, maybe someone has a heavy use of eligibility-specific support but not any community-based support. You notice they have a gap in their schedule that could be filled. You can use the Supports Schedule to identify a community-based support to fill this time gap.
Reciprocal Roles
This tool helps identify the supportive roles people have in each other’s lives. For example, who shares love, affection, and trust? Who spends time and creates memories together? Who knows about personal interests, traditions, and cultures? Similarly, what roles does the person with a disability play in others’ lives? This tool can be very affirming, highlighting the significant roles the person with a disability plays in others’ lives and identifying any support gaps they may have in relationships.
LifeCourse Portfolios
To explore and plan, visit the LifeCourse Person-Centered Foundational Tools page and scroll down to the “LifeCourse Person-Centered Portfolio” section to download the tools listed below. Print these resources on 11 x 17 paper. Each contains a cover sheet, trajectory tool, and an Integrated Supports Star.
Try Them Out Yourself
We encourage you to try these tools before using them with someone you work with. These tools can elicit emotions such as future fears, regrets about past decisions, or embarrassment about current life situations. By using them yourself, you’ll become familiar with them and develop empathy as you explore these tools with others.
The tools are applicable beyond life vision planning. You can use the Trajectory for Planning tool to plan any goal – large or small, personal, work-related, or for any situation. For example, you can use it to:
- Plan a vacation
- Develop a fitness goal
- Plan career development
- Improve social goals
- Explore hobby goals
The sky is the limit! These tools are designed to help people with disabilities and those who support them live their best lives. So go out there, live your best life, and support others to do the same.